Rise in the Martial Chaos: Starting From a Martial Arts School

Yang Jing bowed as well, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across the unfamiliar middle-aged Steward.

He had a vague feeling that this Steward’s strength was formidable. His presence was calm and composed, not a bit weaker than Steward Zheng’s, and perhaps even stronger than the two Stewards who had led the team to the Dragon Gate martial trials.

Of course, this was just Yang Jing’s intuition, with nothing to back it up.

Steward Zheng stood on the steps before the Internal Affairs Hall, his gaze slowly sweeping over the disciples below. His steady, powerful voice rang out, "The Lingxi Peak disciples participating in this Cyan Qilin Battle—Zhang Hengyi, Chen Xuexiang, and Yang Jing—are you here?"

Hearing Steward Zheng’s question, Zhang Hengyi, Chen Xuexiang, and Yang Jing stepped forward in unison, stopping at the bottom of the steps.

The three then answered in unison, "We are here!"

Steward Zheng’s gaze swept over the three of them. Seeing that they had all arrived, he gave a slight nod.

He then turned his head to the middle-aged Steward beside him and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Wang, everyone’s here. Let’s be on our way."

A smile touched Steward Wang’s face. He nodded and replied, "Good. We’ll do as you say, Senior Brother Zheng."

Although both men held the title of Steward and had their own duties within the sect, they were quite close in private. They had always addressed each other as martial brothers and got along very well.

Steward Zheng smiled and nodded. He then turned, waved to the three disciples, and announced in a clear voice, "Let’s move out! To the Main Peak’s Cyan Qilin Platform!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Steward Zheng and Steward Wang began walking down the peak, side by side at the head of the group, their steps firm and steady.

Zhang Hengyi, Chen Xuexiang, and Yang Jing followed close behind the two Stewards, matching them step for step.

Seeing this, the spectating disciples immediately began to follow as well.

The Inner Sect Disciples walked in small groups, while the outer sect disciples kept to the periphery. The vast procession marched along the mountain path toward the Main Peak.

For the disciples of the Xuanzhen Sect, the monthly Cyan Qilin Battle was considered a grand event.

They could not only watch spectacular duels between the top experts of each peak but also learn from their martial techniques. Naturally, no one wanted to miss out. Even some outer sect disciples would brave the trip to the Main Peak’s Cyan Qilin Platform to spectate.

However, as the procession moved, the gazes of many Inner Sect Disciples involuntarily fell upon Yang Jing. Their faces showed surprise, and whispers rippled through the crowd.

"Who is that kid? I’ve never seen him before."

"He’s a new face to me too. Doesn’t ring a bell."

"Isn’t that Yang Jing? What’s he doing at the Cyan Qilin Battle? Didn’t he just get promoted to the Inner Sect?"

"It’s not surprising that Senior Brother Zhang and Senior Brother Chen are participating. They’re the top two on our peak’s Dragon and Tiger List. But Yang Jing... hasn’t he only been an Inner Sect Disciple for a few days?"

"Yeah, that’s way too bold, isn’t it? The Cyan Qilin Battle is an arena for the top Inner Strength Disciples from every peak. He’s just a rookie. How many moves can he possibly last?"

"Does anyone even know who that guy is? How come I’ve never heard of someone like him on our Lingxi Peak?"

Though the murmurs were quiet, they still faintly reached Yang Jing’s ears.

He, however, acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing. His eyes remained fixed ahead, his steps were steady, and his heart was completely at peace.

Soon, more people found out who Yang Jing was, and the information spread to the Lingxi Peak Inner Sect Disciples who were still guessing.

Although Yang Jing had rarely appeared in public since his promotion to the Inner Sect, he wasn’t entirely unknown.

What’s more, numerous outer sect disciples were following along the periphery. They trailed cautiously behind, not daring to get too close to the Inner Sect Disciples, but they overheard the discussions up ahead perfectly clearly.

Compared to the Inner Sect Disciples of Lingxi Peak, these outer sect disciples were far more familiar with Yang Jing.

Just days before, Yang Jing had crushed an aberrant beast, passed the Dragon Gate martial trials, and successfully been promoted to the Inner Sect.

This had caused a huge stir among the outer sect disciples of Lingxi Peak, and Yang Jing’s name had already become legendary among them.

"Hmph, just a case of a newborn calf not fearing the tiger. The Dragon Gate martial trials are just a warm-up before entering the Inner Sect. Those aberrant beasts aren’t that strong; they’re on a completely different level from the Inner Sect experts you face in the Cyan Qilin Battle."

"Exactly. The rules for the Cyan Qilin Battle are much more relaxed than the Dragon Gate trials. As long as no one is killed, anything goes. Injuries are commonplace. He’ll go up there, run into some ruthless opponent, and get taught a harsh lesson."

"I doubt he’ll last even two rounds. He’s probably just here for the experience, but I’m afraid the price for that experience will be a bit steep."

Yang Jing continued to ignore the gossip, silently adjusting his condition to prepare for the battles ahead.

...

About an hour after the contingent from Lingxi Peak had departed, the doors to Lingxi Hall, which stood before Lingxi Plaza, slowly swung open.

Peak Master Bai Bing, clad all in white, walked out at a leisurely pace. Si Jiawen followed close behind, matching her step for step.

The morning light fell upon Bai Bing, making her cool, aloof aura seem all the more ethereal, like a Banished Immortal.

Bai Bing stopped and turned her head to Si Jiawen beside her, instructing her coolly, "You go on ahead to the Cyan Qilin Platform and wait for me. I’m going to the great hall on the Main Peak to see the Sect Leader. I’ll be there shortly."

"Yes, Master." Si Jiawen bowed in response, but in her heart, she grew even more certain. ’Master places far too much importance on Yang Jing.

’In the past, Master rarely attended the Cyan Qilin Battle in person.

’After all, the disciples of Lingxi Peak had always performed poorly in the Cyan Qilin Battle. It had been a very long time since any of them had placed in the top three.

’But this time, just because Yang Jing was participating, Master was going to spectate. This kind of treatment was practically unprecedented.’